Global rack system

ABSTRACT

A rack system for electronic and/or electrical equipment including a frame, a front door mounted to the front of the frame, a back door or panel, two side panels mounted to the back and two sides of the frame, and a top panel mounted to the top of the frame. The doors can be single doors or dual doors. The frame includes a rectangular base frame constructed by four horizontal edge members, and a top frame having the same structure as the base frame, and four vertical members each extending between two associate corners of the base frame and the top frame, and joining the base frame and top frame together. The horizontal members and vertical members are contoured with step-like structures, so that the rack has a high stiffness and strength. The door includes a hinge and a latch attached to two vertical members The panels are provided with tabs and latches for securing the panels to the frame.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part and claims priority to PCTinternational application PCT/US2004/017351, filed Jun. 1, 2004, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/474,561filed May 20, 2003, each of which applications is expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to racks for electronic and/or electricalequipment and, more particularly, to racks having high stiffness andstrength.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A common use of equipment racks of the type to which the presentinvention relates is for containing electronic or electrical equipmentin the racks. In general, the rack has a box-like shape, including abase, side members extending upwardly from the base, and a top mountedto the top ends of the side members. The base, top, and side membersform an enclosure within which the electronic or electrical equipment isdisposed.

Preservation of electronic or electrical equipment from damage ofcrushing or other burden, for example, rubbles of earthquakes andaftershocks, for the maintenance of communications and other purposes isa major concern. It is possible to make an equipment rack that is strongenough to avoid these damages by using heavier material and more bracingmembers, but this adds significantly to the cost. Heavier material andmore bracing, therefore, are not a solution acceptable in thecompetitive environment of modem rack systems. In addition, it has beenfound that lighter weight, yet more rigid equipment racks behave morefavorably during shaking of the type that the rack system may encounterduring earthquakes or other situations.

What is desired is a new and improved electronic and/or electricalequipment rack system having high stiffness and strength with low cost.Preferably, the improved rack will include increased structural rigiditywithout a substantial increase in weight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a rack system for containing electronicand/or electrical equipment The rack system preferably includes a framehaving a box-like structure, a front door mounted to the front of theframe, a back door or panel mounted to the back of the frame, two sidepanels mounted to two sides of the frame, and a roof panel mounted tothe top of the frame.

The frame of the rack generally includes a rectangular base frameconstructed by four horizontal edge members, a top frame having the samestructure as the base frame, and four vertical members each extendingbetween two associated comers of the base frame and the top frame, andjoining the base frame and top frame together. The horizontal membersand vertical members are preferably joined by welding, or by othermeans, for example bolts, or by combinations of these means The doorscan be single doors or dual doors.

In a preferred embodiment, the vertical member is preferably fabricatedfrom a sheet of a metal or other materials, and includes a step-likecross-section. The vertical member preferably includes a first section,a second step-like section, and a third section. The first section andthe third section are angularly joined to two ends of the secondstep-like section, preferably forming an angle of 90 degrees. The secondstep-like section defines a two-step-like interior side.

The horizontal member is preferably constructed by rolling a sheet of ametal or other materials and joining the two end edges of the sheet ofmetal or other materials. The two end edges are preferably curved intothe interior of the roll and form two back-to-back attached “L”. The twoend edges are preferably joined by welding or other means The horizontalmember preferably includes a relatively large first section, and arelatively small second section positioned opposing to each other, andtwo step-like sections connected to two ends of the first section andthe second section.

At the corners of the frame where the horizontal members and thevertical members are joined, the first section and third section of thevertical member are cut to a shorter length so that the first sectionand the third section can be positioned underneath and welded to aportion of the bottom surfaces of the horizontal members at the topcorners, and support the top frame. The ends of the horizontal membersare contoured to fit to and welded to the step-like interior side of thevertical member.

The frame may include at least a pair of struts each extending betweentwo vertical members which are disposed within one surface plane of therack. The struts enhance the strength of the frame.

In one preferred embodiment, the rack includes a door mounted to thefront of the frame. The door includes at least one hinge attached to theleft vertical member of the front side of the frame, and at least onelatch attached to the right vertical member of the front side of theframe. The latch is for locking the door to the frame. The position ofthe hinge and latch can be reversed, so that the door can open in anopposite direction. The door also can be mounted on the back or the twosides of the frame, and the rack may include more than one doors so thata user can access the inside of the rack from different sides of therack.

In another preferred embodiment, the rack further includes four castersmounted on four corners of the base frame to support the rack andfacilitate movement of the rack. The rack may further include locatingplates attached to the horizontal members at places where the castersare mounted to the base frame for stiffening the base frame. In onepreferred embodiment, the base frame further includes four cornerbrackets which are coupled to the four inner comers of the base frameThe corner brackets enhance the strength of the base frame.

The side panel or back panel of the rack preferably includes a pluralityof tabs extending from the top edge of the panel. The tabs are sized toinsert into a plurality of slots defined by the horizontal member of thetop frame. The panel may further be provided with two latch assemblies,preferably having a simple spring slam latch with a rotary key lockpositioned behind it, for locking the panel to the frame. The cam of thelock, when in a locked position, prevents the slam latch from opening.The slam latch can use a conventional latch, for example, slide latchPart Number A3-40-525-12 of SOUTHCO™. In alternate embodiments, thepanel may include tabs extending from the side edges or bottom edge, andthe horizontal members or vertical members of the frame define associateslots for receiving the tabs.

The roof panel may also includes tabs extending outwardly from one edgeof the roof panel and are adapted to insert into the slots defined bythe horizontal members of the top frame. The roof panel may furtherinclude a latch disposed close to an edge opposite to the edge

where the tabs extend. The tabs and the latch allow the roof panel to besecured to and removed from the top frame without using any tools.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a frame of one embodiment in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical member of the frame shownin FIG. 1 taken along line A-A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of an alternate vertical member forthe frame shown in FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a horizontal member of the frameshown in FIG. I taken along line B-B in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a frame of one embodiment of the presentinvention and FIGS. 4A-4C are enlarged views of corners of the frameshown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a door mounted to the frame shown inFIG. 1 and FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lower portion of the frame shown inFIGS. 1 and 4 to show the bottom of the frame;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a panel adapted to be mounted onto thefront or back, or sides of the frame shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of an upper part of the panel shown inFIG. 7, taken along line C-C;

FIG. 7B is a schematic view of a latch assembly used with the panel inFIG. 7;

FIG. 7C is an enlarged view of an up-left corner of the panel shown inFIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a top panel adapted to be mounted ontothe top of the frame shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4; and

FIG. 8A is a front view of the top panel and two horizontal members ofthe top frame of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9A is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 9B is a view of the rack of FIG. 9A along lines X-X;

FIG. 9C is front view of the rack of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10A is a detailed view of connection of corner brackets shown inFIG. 9B

FIG. 10B is a detailed view of step-like section connecting with supportmembers shown in FIG. 10A

FIG. 10C is a detailed view of connection of panels shown in FIG. 9C

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a new and improved electronic equipmentrack system including features that provide the rack with exceptionalstrength and rigidity without substantially increasing the weight andcost of the rack. The rack system, in accordance with one preferredembodiment, generally includes a box-like frame, a door mounted to thefront of the frame, a back door or panel and two side panels mounted tothe back and two sides of the frame, and a roof panel mounted to the topof the frame.

Referring to FIG. 1, the frame of the rack system 10 generally includesa rectangular base frame 12 constructed by four horizontal edge members16, and a top frame 14 having the same structure as the base frame 12,and four vertical members 18 each extending between two associate comersof the base frame 12 and the top frame 14, and joining the base frame 12and top frame 14 together. The base frame 12, top frame 14, and the fourvertical members 18 form the elongated box-like frame structure 10.

The frame 10 may include one pair or more struts 20 each extendingbetween two vertical members 18 which are disposed within the samesurface plane of the rack. As shown in FIG. 1, the two struts 20 arepreferably disposed in two opposite surfaces of the rack and preferablyextend between two intermediate points of two vertical members 18. Thetwo struts 20 may be disposed on the front and back of the frame 10, asshown in FIG. 1, or on the two sides of the frame 10. The horizontalmembers 16, the vertical members 18, and the struts 20 can be joined bywelding or soldering, or other suitable means.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of thevertical member 8. The vertical member 18 is preferably constructed froma steel sheet or plate, extends along a longitudinal axis which isperpendicular to the cross-section shown in FIG. 2 and has a step-likeprofile. As shown in the cross-sectional view, the vertical member 18includes a first section 22, a second step-like section 24, and a thirdsection 26. The second step-like section 24 preferably has atwo-step-like profile. The first section 22 and the third section 26 areangularly joined to two ends of the second step-like section 24,preferably forming an angle of 90 degrees. The first section 22 andthird section 26 have protrusions extend inwardly from two ends of thetwo sections 22 and 26. The vertical member 18 is preferablymanufactured by curving or rolling one sheet of a metal.

An alternative form of vertical member 18 is shown in FIG. 2A. Thestep-like section 24 in both FIG. 2 and FIG. 2A, include “vertical” (asshown in those figures) sub-sections 24-1, 24-3, and 24-5 and“horizontal” (as shown in those figures) sub-sections 24-2, 24-4 and24-6. The ratios of the various in-line sub-sections (e.g., 24-1, 24-3and 24-5) may be varied in different embodiments. A preferred ratio for24-1, 24-3 and 24-5 is 20:28:8. Other ratios may be used.

FIG. 3-3A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the horizontal member16. The horizontal member 16 extends along a longitudinal axis which isperpendicular to the cross-section shown in FIG. 3 and is preferablyconstructed from a steel sheet or plate which are rolled and joined atthe two end edges 38 by welding. As shown in FIG. 3, the two end edges38 are preferably curved into the interior of the roll and shaped liketwo back-to-back attached “L”.

The horizontal member 16 includes a relatively large first section 40, arelatively small second section 42, and two step-like side sections 44Aand 44B. In the frame 10, the first section 40 of the horizontal member16 faces inward, and the second section 42 of the horizontal member 16faces outward (as best shown in FIG. 8A). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, inone preferred embodiment, the horizontal member 16 further defines aplurality of slots 48 each extending along the longitudinal axis at theside section 44A and/or 44B and a plurality of slots 50 each extendingalong the longitudinal axis at the first section 40 The slots 48 and 50are adapted for insertion of tabs of side panels, back panel, or roofpanel which will be described in detail below.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame 10 and FIGS. 4A-4C areenlarged views of the corners of the frame 10 shown in FIG. 4 Thevertical member 18 defines a two-step-like interior side 30, and theedges of the ends of the horizontal members 16 are cut and contoured tofit the interior side 30 of the second step-like section 24 of thevertical member 18. As shown in FIGS. 4A-4C, the interior side 30 of thesecond section 24 of the vertical member 18 is coupled to the edges ofthe ends of two horizontal members 16. The first section 22 and thirdsection 26 and the protrusions extending therefrom are cut to a shorterlength than the second step-like section 24, such that the first section22 and the third section 26, and the protrusions are disposed underneaththe horizontal member 16 and are preferably welded to a section of theside section 44B of the horizontal members 16 at the upper corners asshown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, and, at the lower corners as shown in FIG. 4A,the first section 22 and the third section 26 are cut, and are disposedabove and welded to a section of the side section 44A. The first section22 and the third section 26 provide support to the base frame 12 and topframe 14. The horizontal members 16 and the vertical members 18 arejoined, at the corners of the frame 10, by welding, welding nuts, bolts,other suitable means, or by combinations of these means.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which the frame10 is provided with a door 60 mounted on the front side of the frame 10.FIG. 5 is a top view of the embodiment, in which the two front cornersare partially cut away to show the hinges and latches of the door 60. Asshown in FIG. 5, the vertical member 18 defines a recess 34 at anexterior side opposite the interior side 30. The recesses 34 receive atleast one hinge 62 and at least one latch 64 of the door 60. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 5, the left vertical member as denoted by 18Areceives the hinge 62 and the right vertical member as denoted by 18Breceives the latch 64, and the door 60 opens in a clockwise direction.The hinge 62 and the latch 64 can be reversed positioned, so that thedoor 60 can open in a counterclockwise direction. The door 60 also canbe mounted to other sides of the frame 10, for example, on the back ofthe frame, or on the two sides of the frame. The hinge 62 may be aspring driven hinge, or “tdrop in” hinge, or other suitable hinges Thelatch 64 may be a “3 or 4 point” latch which grabs the frame at 3 or 4points. The door 60 also can be a dual door, and has two hingesrespectively attached to the left vertical member 18A and the rightvertical member 18B.

FIG. 6 is an upside-down view of the frame 10 to show the bottom of theframe 10. The frame 10 preferably further includes four casters 80mounted on four comers of the base frame 12 (FIG. 6 only shows twocasters 80). The four casters 80 support the rack and facilitatemovement of the rack. In one preferred embodiment, the base frame 12includes locating plates 84 attached to the horizontal members 16 at thecorners of the base frame 12. The locating plates 84 enhance thestrength of the base frame 12. Four corner brackets 82 are coupled tothe four inner corners of the base frame 12 for stiffening the baseframe 12. The corner brackets 82 can be convex-shaped as shown in FIG.6, or concave-shaped, and can be curved-or angular-shaped. The bottom ofthe rack is preferably open, allowing air or wires to pass through.

FIG. 7 shows a panel 100 which can be mounted to the front or back ofthe frame 10, or the two sides of the frame 10. FIG. 7A shows across-sectional view of an upper part of the panel 100, taken along lineCC in FIG. 7, and FIG. 7C shows an exploded view of the up-left cornerof the panel 100 in FIG. 7. The panel 100 preferably is fabricated fromone sheet of a metal or other materials, and sized to fit in the frontor back frame, or side frame. In one preferred embodiment, the panel 100includes a plurality of tabs 102 extending from a top edge of the panel100. The horizontal member 16 at the top frame 14 defines a plurality ofslots 48 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 for receiving the tabs 102. Thepanel 100 may also include tabs extending from the side edges or bottomedges of the panel 100, and the vertica and horizontal members of theframe 10 define associate slots for receiving the tabs. The panel 100may further include two latch assemblies 106 preferably disposed closeto the two side edges of the panel 100. FIG. 7B show a schematic view ofthe latch assembly 106. The latch assembly 106 preferably includes asimple spring slam latch with a rotary key lock positioned behind it,for locking the panel to the frame. The cam of the lock, when in alocked position, prevents the slam latch from opening. The slam latchcan be a conventional latch, for example, slide latch Part NumberA3-40-525-12 of SOUTHCO™. The lock can be a ¼ turn keyed lock. The tabs102 and the latches 106 secure the panel 100 to the frame 10. The rackpreferably includes a front door mounted to the front frame, and a backpanel and two side panels mounted on the back frame and two side frames.The rack also can be constructed with more than one door, for example,doors on the back or two sides, so that a user can access the inside ofthe rack through the back door or the side doors, and not only throughthe front door. The doors can be single doors or dual doors.

FIG. 8 illustrates a roof panel 120 of the rack system in accordancewith one preferred embodiment of the present invention. The roof panel120 is preferably fabricated from one sheet of a metal or othermaterials and is sized to fit to the top frame 14. In one preferredembodiment, the roof panel 120 includes a plurality of tabs 122,extending from and parallel to a bottom surface of the roof panel 120.FIG. 8A shows a roof panel 120 mounted to two horizontal members 16 ofthe top frame 14. As best shown in FIG. 8A, the tabs 122 extendoutwardly and are positioned close to an edge of the roof panel 120, andsized to be inserted into the slots 50 of the horizontal member 16 ofthe top frame 14. The roof panel 120 further includes a latch 124,preferably a slam latch, disposed close to an edge opposite the edgewhere the tabs 122 extend. The latch 124 is adapted to engage with thehorizontal member 16 and locks the roof panel 120 to the top frame 14.The design of the roof panel 120 and the top frame 14 allows the roofpanel 120 to be secured to and removed from the frame 10 without usingany tools. In a preferred embodiment, the roof panel 120 further definesat least one hole 126 through the roof panel 120, allowing air or wiresto enter into the rack.

FIG. 9A-9C illustrate a rack system 10′ in accordance with an additionalembodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated form, the basicframe structure is similar to that described above in conjunction withFIGS. 1-8. In FIGS. 9A-9C, similar elements are identified in the samereference numbers. The rack 10′ includes four corner brackets 130 whichare affixed to the four inner corners of both the rectangular base frame12 and rectangular top frame 14, for stiffening those frames. As shown,each bracket extending in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axesof the respective vertical support members 18. In FIG. 9B, a view of thecorner brackets 130 attached to the inner corners of a base is shown. Inaddition, each of four elongated u-shaped channel members 140 areaffixed to a respective one of the vertical support members 18 and/orthe corner brackets 130, preferably each elongated u-shaped channelmember 140 is made from an elongated sheet material by bending saidsheet material about an axis parallel to its longitudinal axis. Theelongated u-shaped channels can be affixed to the elongated verticalmembers 18 by welding, or fastening means, to provide a rigid exteriorstructure. As shown in FIG. 9C, a top panel 150 is rigidly affixed tothe top corner brackets 130 of upper frame 14 and two side surfacepanels 160 are rigidly affixed to and along the length of the elongatedu-shaped channels 140 on each side of said rack 10′. The panels arepreferably fabricated from one sheet of a metal or other materials, andsized to fit on the top or side frames by welding or fastening toprovide a tight and rigid structure

FIG. 10A-10C illustrate additional detail regarding rack 10′ of FIGS.9A-9C in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.10A provides detail on the connection found in FIG. 9B, between cornerbracket, step-like section, and support members for a rigid, structure.Moreover, additional detail of FIG. 10A of cross-sectional step-likesection and support members in FIG. 10B as the focal point of thestructural fit. The unshaped channel 140 is preferably joined by weldingto the vertical support member 18 at points along their respectivelengths where those elements are adjacent. In FIG. 10B, exemplary weldpoints are denoted by “W.” FIG. 10C provides additional detail onconnection, found in FIG. 9C, between a side panel and support membersfor a rigid exterior of the rack system.

The invention may be embodied on other specific form without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered illustrative and notrestrictive, the scope of the invention being dictated by the appendedclaims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes whichcome within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims aretherefore intended to be embraced therein.

1. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment, comprising: a. a rectangular base frame having four horizontal support members each extending along a longitudinal axis; b. a rectangular top frame having four horizontal support members each extending along a longitudinal axis; wherein each horizontal support member of said base frame and said top frame is made from an elongated sheet material extending along a longitudinal axis by bending the sheet material about an axis parallel to said longitudinal axis to form two step-like side peripheral surfaces, attaching two side elongated edges of said elongated sheet material together, c. four elongated vertical support members each extending along a longitudinal axis between and joined to two associated comers of said rectangular base frame and said rectangular top frame, wherein each said elongated vertical support member is made from an elongated sheet material extending along a longitudinal axis by bending said sheet material about an axis parallel to said longitudinal axis of said sheet material to form at least three elongated sections wherein adjacent sections are substantially perpendicular to each other.
 2. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 1 further comprising panels mounted to surface planes of the rack system.
 3. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 2, wherein each panel is made from a unitary sheet of metal.
 4. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 2, wherein said panels include a front panel, wherein a first side edge of said front panel is attached to an associated vertical support member of said rack system by at least one hinge, such that said front panel is rotatable about said vertical support member, wherein said front panel forms an openable door.
 5. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 4, wherein said hinge is mounted on the outside of the vertical support member of the rack system.
 6. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 4, wherein said front panel include a latch attached to a second side edge opposite to said first side edge where the hinge is attached, wherein said latch is adapted to lock said second side edge to an associated vertical support member.
 7. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 6, wherein said latch is a slam latch.
 8. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 4, wherein said front panel comprises two panels, each having a side edge mounted on an associated vertical support member by at least one hinge, whereby said two panels form a dual- door.
 9. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 2, wherein said panels include a back panel, wherein a first side edge of said back panel is attached to an associated vertical support member of said rack system by at least one hinge, such that said back panel is rotatable about said vertical support member, wherein said back panel forms an openable door
 10. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 9, wherein said back panel include a latch attached to a second side edge opposite to said first side edge where the hinge is attached, wherein said latch is adapted to lock said second side edge to an associated vertical support member.
 11. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 2, wherein said panels include tabs extending outwardly from the edges of said panels, and wherein said vertical or horizontal support members define slots facing the tabs for receiving said tabs of said panels.
 12. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 11, wherein said panels are removable from said rack system.
 13. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 2, wherein said panels include a top panel attached to said top frame, wherein said top panel includes tabs extending outwardly from a first edge of said top panel, and said horizontal support member which is associated with said first edge defines slots facing and for receiving said tabs, wherein a second edge of said top panel opposite to said first edge includes a latch for locking said second edge to an associated horizontal member.
 14. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 13, wherein said top panel define at least one hole passing through said top panel.
 15. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 2, wherein said panels include a top panel attached to the top frame, wherein said top panel defines at least one hole passing through said top panel.
 16. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 2, wherein said panels include a bottom panel mounted to the base frame, wherein said bottom panel defines at least one hole passing through said bottom panel.
 17. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the base frame comprises four casters mounted on four corners of the base frame.
 18. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 1 further comprising at least one strut extending between two associated vertical support members.
 19. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein each horizontal support member extends between two opposite ends, wherein each end is partially cut away to fit the contour of said vertical support member.
 20. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment, comprising: a. a rectangular base frame having four horizontal support members each extending along a longitudinal axis and a rectangular top frame having four horizontal support members each extending along a longitudinal axis; wherein each horizontal support member of said base frame and said top frame extends between two ends and is made from an elongated sheet material extending along a longitudinal axis, wherein said horizontal support member is formed by bending the sheet material about a longitudinal axis parallel to said longitudinal axis to form two step-like side peripheral surfaces, and attaching two side elongated edges of said elongated sheet material together; b. four elongated vertical support members each extending along a longitudinal axis between and joined to two associated corners of said rectangular base frame and said rectangular top frame, wherein each said elongated vertical support member is made from an elongated sheet material extending along a longitudinal axis by bending said sheet material about a longitudinal axis parallel to said longitudinal axis of said sheet material to form at least three sections, wherein adjacent sections are perpendicular to each other, wherein said ends of said horizontal members are partially cut away to fit the contour of said vertical support members; and c. at least five panels mounted to a top, a front, a back, and two side surfaces of said rack system.
 21. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 20, wherein said front panel includes a first edge attached to an associated vertical support member of the rack system by at least one hinge, such that said front panel is rotatable about said vertical support member, wherein said front panel forms an openable door.
 22. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 20, wherein said back panel includes a first edge is attached to an associated vertical support member of the rack system by at least o e hinge, such that said back panel is rotatable about said vertical support member, wherein said back panel forms an openable door.
 23. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 20, wherein said top panel defines at least one hole passing through said top panel.
 24. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment according to claim 20, wherein said panels further include a bottom panel mounted to the base frame, wherein said bottom panel defines at least one hole passing through said bottom panel.
 25. A rack system for containing electronic and/or electrical equipment, comprising: a. a rectangular base frame having four horizontal support members each extending along a longitudinal axis; b. a rectangular top frame having four horizontal support members each extending along a longitudinal axis; c. four elongated vertical support members each vertical support member extending along a longitudinal axis between and joined to two associated corners of said rectangular base frame and said rectangular top frame, wherein each of said vertical support members includes a first section, a second and a third section extending along said longitudinal axis, said second section being positioned between said first section and said third section, and said second section having a step-like profile.
 26. A rack system according to claim 25 wherein said step-like profile includes two-steps, defining a first set of three sub-sections extending a first direction alternating with a second set of three sub-sections extending along a second direction.
 27. A rack system according to claim 26 wherein said first and second direction are mutually perpendicular.
 28. A rack system according to claim 27 wherein the ratio of the lengths said sub-section of said first set is 20:28:8. 